SUPER BOWL XXXIII; Tagliabue Has His Say: Taylor Belongs in the Hall

Usually, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's annual Super Bowl news conference produces few surprises. But today, Tagliabue shocked many at his annual state of the league address by making a passionate plea to elect Lawrence Taylor, the former Giants linebacker, to the Hall of Fame.

It is possible that Tagliabue's words changed the minds of some voters, who will decide Taylor's fate on Saturday. Some are considering rejecting Taylor because of his off-the-field problems in recent years, including several arrests for drug offenses.

But Tagliabue disagreed, saying that what Taylor does off the field should be kept separate from his accomplishments on it.

When asked if Taylor should be elected, Tagliabue said: ''I think he should, and I say that without qualification.

''The Hall of Fame is about performing on the field. And there, Lawrence Taylor was one of the greatest. I think the public understands that by making a judgment of an athlete, you're not condoning, or accepting, what he did off the field.''

Tagliabue had a series of conversations this week with Wellington Mara, the Giants co-owner who is in the Hall of Fame and is an ardent supporter of Taylor's election. After speaking with Mara about Taylor's nomination, and then doing his own soul-searching, Tagliabue decided that Taylor should be inducted.

The vote will be announced by Hall of Fame officials Saturday afternoon.

Taylor is one of 15 finalists on this year's Hall of Fame ballot. The others are George Allen, who coached the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins; running back Eric Dickerson; defensive end Carl Eller; punter Ray Guy; Marv Levy, the former coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills; defensive end Howie Long; guard Tom Mack; tight end Ozzie Newsome; Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers; guard Billy Shaw; wide receiver John Stallworth; wide receiver Lynn Swann; tackle Ron Yary, and defensive end Jack Youngblood.

The voting committee is composed of news media representatives from the 30 National Football League cities, plus five at-large members and the president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

To be elected, a candidate must receive a minimum of 80 percent of the vote (29 of 36 votes). But at least four candidates and no more than seven must be voted in. In other words, the top four vote-getters will be elected even if they fall short of 29 votes. Since this is not considered a strong class, Taylor has a good chance of making it, as one voter said, through the back door.

Normally, a player of Taylor's caliber would be a lock. No linebacker in the history of football possessed his combination of speed, power and determination. Since Taylor retired at the end of the 1993 season, no defensive player has come close to duplicating what he did on the field.

But as well as Taylor played on the field, he was just as reckless off it. He was once suspended for four games after failing a league-sponsored drug test.

His most damaging problems have come since his playing days ended. Taylor has been arrested three times since he retired. The most damaging arrest was for allegedly buying $50 of crack cocaine from an undercover police officer on Oct. 19, 1998, in a hotel room in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla. Police said 15 crack pipes were in the room. Taylor asserted that he was set up.

Two years ago, Taylor was arrested in Myrtle Beach, S. C., on a charge of trying to purchase $100 of fake crack cocaine from an undercover officer. His record in that case was wiped clean after he performed 60 hours of community service and submitted to drug counseling and random drug testing.

Soon after the arrest last fall, Taylor entered a drug rehabilitation clinic in New Jersey. Mara picked up the $7,000 tab for the stay. Taylor said today that he was in an outpatient rehabilitation program, but he would not give details. ''If guys are asking me to apologize or be remorseful for what I've done, I can't do that,'' Taylor said in a conference call with representatives of the news media earlier this week. ''There are some things I'd like to change, but I can't change them, so I'm not going to worry about them.''

In discussing Taylor's possible selection, Mara said: ''I don't really want to comment, but I was asked by someone, 'If Lawrence got into the Hall of Fame, how would I feel?' I told them I would feel pretty good.''

*The lack of African-American head coaches. In the last three years, there have been 24 openings for a head coach and only one has been filled by an African American, with Ray Rhodes going from Philadelphia to Green Bay. Tagliabue has implemented programs to try to change the situation, including videotaping interviews to bring newer faces into the mix. ''Am I satisfied with where we are?'' Tagliabue asked. ''No. Do I think we are making progress? Yes.''

*Eddie DeBartolo, the San Francisco 49ers owner who stepped down after a Federal investigation revealed his involvement in a Louisiana gambling casino, will most likely remain divorced from the team for next season, Tagliabue said.

*The expansion committee will recommend to the owners at their March meetings whether the league should establish its next expansion franchise in either Houston or Los Angeles. The latter city is ahead because the N.F.L. hates not having a team in a market where 16 million people live.